Why do the chain's (Costa/Pret/Eat etc) monitor the temperature of their coffee? Is it a taste thing, has some scientist determined the optimal heat of the milk? Do they have different temperatures for each chain? Or is it lukewarm to ensure people drink up and clear off for the next lot?

I ask because I love boiling hot coffee and it seems to be harder and harder to obtain it. Even asking for 'extra hot' seems to amount to what I would consider to be 'normal' temperature for coffee.

Anyone know? Anyone care? Probably not. First world problems and all that.

Essentially (as I understand it) either way. Boiling water scalds the coffee and changes the taste. If you like a smooth coffee it has to be approx. 20 degrees under boiling. I only found this out about six months ago and it does actually work and has improved the flavour of coffee I make quite considerably.

I was always told to boil the kettle and leave it 5 minutes beofre pouring. At work we have a boiling water tap, so it's not really possible. To counter this, I add the milk into the coffee first, stir it round and hey presto, creamy coffee with froth (ooooh, capuccino - always reminds me of the Blackadder sketch )

That said, I drink Yorkshire Tea. I only have coffee when I'm all tea-ed up.

There's no specific regulation about coffee temperature, but there is the whole burning the beans thing, but it has more to do with potential scalding to children. If I remember rightly from the stupid amount of courses I had to do running the pub, a water temperature of 60C will cause third degree burns to a child's skin within three seconds and boiling water will cause a serious burn within one second. With the amount of children that go into coffee shops with parents it's a safety aspect.